Before the emergence of Christianity and Islamic religions to Nigeria, the only forms of religion that Africans worshipped were the ‘Idols.’ For example, Yoruba is one of the famous cultures in Western Nigeria known for having wide varieties of these Idols. Among them are Orunmila (the messenger of peace and second in command to God), Shango (the god of thunder and lightning), Ogun (god of iron) and Oshun (the river goddess). The faith of Yoruba’s solely lies on these Orisas (deities) as they are fondly called to bring prosperity, cure bareness, and heal diseases and so on. Christianity and Islam were regarded as foreign religions and were a taboo for anybody who embraced either of the religions to the extent that they could be castrated out of their communities. But today, Christianity and Islam through proper education of their teachings are the major religions embraced not only by Yoruba people but also the entire country.
“ORUNMILA” was the most respected of all the deities as it was strongly believed to be the “spirit of wisdom” and also the “second in the command to God.” To this day ORUNMILA is still regarded as the messenger of peace and tranquility, the idol is still worshipped by many followers with its annual celebration attracting nationalities all over the world.
I hope you find this posting interesting. Readers comments and questions are highly welcomed.
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